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6 content marketing insights from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

17 February, 2014

I was lucky enough to be in the crowd at AAMI Park on Saturday night to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. My beautiful wife bought us the tickets last year and we had looked forward to it for months. It was everything we’d hoped for.

As always I was looking for insights to take into my content marketing.

Here’s 6.

1. The value of long term collaboration

The chemistry between Springsteen and his old friend and guitarist Miami steve van Sandt was palpable. The joy on their faces when sharing a microphone was compelling. These two have played together since they were young men in New Jersey in the early 1970’s and it was the quality of this partnership that , for mine, underpinned the performance. So build long term relationships with people you know, admire, trust and respect. 1 plus 1 can often equal 5.

2. The power of music to connect

I know I’m always banging on about making your communication more ‘human’ and music is a great way to do that. Music moves people. 30,000 rocking as one proves to me once again that if you can work music into your content marketing, you should. Don’t ignore it’s power.

3. Quality counts and quality lasts

Bruce Springsteen and the E street band have created some of the greatest rock n roll songs of all time. On Saturday, Badlands, Rosalita,and Born to run were among the most stirring songs of the night. All three are songs are 30 plus years old and as inspiring and memorable today as they were when they were first performed.

4. The power of digital technology to create compelling content

The show was soaked in digital technology from the crystal clear giant video screens to the pitch perfect sound mix. There is no excuse for poor quality. Digital is your friend. Invest in quality operators who can drive the technology to make beautiful pictures and sound.

5. Give, give and give some more

Three hours in and the house lights came up. Springsteen and the E street band ignored the visual cue and played on for another 30 minutes. This is a touchstone of the band’s reputation. Springsteen and the e street band have built their brand on always giving extraordinary value.

6. People are good

It’s fair to say that the audience ‘skewed old’. But there were a heap of bodies crammed into the stadium and I didn’t see a cross word. When you create great content and great experiences you bring out the best in people. The vibe was sensational because people were enjoying themselves and being intensely human.

So there you go. As always there is a content marketing lesson in everything we do.

Hi David – I too had the pleasure of seeing Bruce in action (albeit in Sydney). And like you, loved it all…but I think, from a content marketing perspective, that the greatest lesson was his ability to “tell a story”, which for me is the essence of content marketing.

From the stories in his lyrics to the stories he shared about his time on the road, to the stories he creates for his audience (especially those who were lucky enough to be called upon stage as part of a new E Street band) the guy is a master.